I'm home (from David)

What can I say, but it’s great to be home!! First, thank you little brother (Daryl) for bailing me out. My brother drove all the way down from Waco on Sunday evening to spend the night with me at the hospital. It was going to be my first night alone and I was really having a tough time, so Daryl came to the rescue. It was great! He showed up about 11:45pm; we talked for about 5 minutes and I promptly feel asleep. I bet he felt ripped off. Next day was great, we had breakfast, lunch, did some rehab, and as mentioned earlier, I pretty much talked everyone into submission about my Tuesday departure. Monday evening was a little tense with first post-op MRIs, but everything turned out fine and I was released on Tuesday. Daryl and I loaded up and headed out. Seeing the medical center in the rear view mirror wasn’t a bad site.

Wow!! Seeing the destruction of Hurricane Ike on the ride home was amazing. Strange though that I had taken this journey weeks earlier and was oblivious to the damage. It made me realize how much time I had lost since the accident and how much I wanted my life to return to normal.

To hug and embrace Nicola at our home was like having our first kiss all over again. It couldn’t have been more perfect. To see the house in such great shape and knowing it was due to the efforts of our friends and family was extremely moving. I am touched every time I walk outside. My oldest daughter Jessica showed up on time walking right through the back door and greeted me with the most perfect, beautiful smile and warm hug. It was hard to tell who was more excited, but I win that argument. Next, E-Man (Ethan) arrived with a large orange roll of paper in tow. We unrolled a welcome home banner in the driveway that was a self-portrait of Ethan, saying “Welcome home Dad”! Attached with candy (that he ate) and several quotes like: “I can’t wait to have our root beer float”, “Dad I missed you”, “I love you”, and my favorite, “Try not to stink up the whole house”. Ethan skipped recess in order to work on this project with his teacher. No words to describe how I felt. We went inside to sit down for snacks and Ethan rested his head on my arm and I knew he exactly how he felt. When he heard the first sniffle, he simply said, “I’ll get the tissues, you have allergies again”. Best tissue I ever had. And finally my Emma made it home. Like her older sister she beamed from ear to ear and gave me the nicest hug and kiss that touched the deepest part of my soul. I’m home again!

Wonderful night sleep! Woke up at 5am and made coffee. Realized all my work buddies were on EST at our national meeting, so what the heck, I started making wake up calls. They even answered! Walked around the yard, stared at the stars and watched my breath on this chilly 50deg morning. It couldn’t have been more perfect. I watched the sunrise from my outdoor kitchen during my favorite time of year (spectacular). Best part of the day, getting to wake up each kid and just talk to them a little before school. And the part I really enjoyed more than anything was just stepping back into my bedroom and quietly watching Nicola getting some much needed sleep!

I’m home.